Kippen de alba Chu

Board Member

Since August 2006, Kippen has been the executive director for Iolani Palace, a tax-exempt 501c3 organization tasked with preserving and perpetuating the former royal residence of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He also worked for the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs for several years before becoming office manager / chief of staff for state Representative Bertha Kawakami, who represented West Kauai and Niihau. Kippen left state government after 16 years to become the assistant executive director of the Hawai‘i Insurers Council, a trade association of property and casualty insurers from 2004 to 2006.

A graduate of Punahou School, Kippen earned his B.A. in international business from the American University of Paris, France. While in Europe, he also spent two years in Italy studying language, art, and history in Urbino as well as at the University of Bologna. He received his executive M.B.A. from the University of Hawaii in 2013.

In addition to the Friends of Hawaii Robotics, Kippen serves on the board of directors for the American Alliance of Museums, the Western Museums Association, the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, and the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association.